


Tension

by roosebolton



Series: Tension AU [3]
Category: Andrew Hozier-Byrne (Musician)
Genre: Alcohol, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Arguing, Complicated Relationships, Hair-pulling, Idiots in Love, Kissing, M/M, RPF, Resolved Sexual Tension, Sexual Tension, power bottom Alex, taking off each other's clothes, versatile lads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:42:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23560978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roosebolton/pseuds/roosebolton
Summary: Alex comes to visit Andrew at his house, and the tension between them becomes explosive.
Relationships: Andrew Hozier-Byrne/Alex Ryan (Hozier)
Series: Tension AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1687216
Comments: 10
Kudos: 24





	Tension

There was a knock at the door, and he knew it was Alex, and he wasn't sure if he should let him in, because he didn't know what would happen, and he didn't know what it might mean if he did.

"It's me," Alex said through the door after knocking a second time.

"I know. Just a sec," Andrew replied. He hesitated for a moment, but unlocked the door, opening it to his friend, but standing in the doorway rather than stepping back to let him in. "...Hey."

"You gonna let me in, or what?" Alex shifted his weight to his other foot, impatient.

"Are you... sure that's a good idea?"

"Fuck, man. Why wouldn't it be?"

They stared at each other briefly before Andrew moved to the side to let Alex in.

"You're acting real weird, Andy, you okay? I've never had you _not_ want to let me in before."

 _I don't even know what I'm feeling right now,_ thought Andrew. "Yeah. Fine. I dunno, man, I'm in a weird place."

"Got anything to drink?"

"Drink like tea, or drink like beer, or drink like whiskey?"

"Yes." Alex snickered. "More like beer, I think. Not really in a tea mood."

"My fridge is open to you." Andrew gestured with his head. "Should be somethin' cold."

Alex rummaged around in the fridge until he found what he was looking for. "You want one?"

Andrew nodded briefly. "Yeah. Sure. Why not."

Pulling a couple of bottles out, Alex opened them with the magnetic bottle opener stuck to the otherwise magnetless fridge door, handing one to Andrew. Without thinking, they clinked their bottles together. 

"Cheers," they said in unison.

They stood there for a while in silence, Alex leaning up against the fridge, Andrew standing a few steps away, the tension palpable.

Andrew took a deep, even breath before speaking again. "So... how've you been? After the... you know."

"Breakup?"

"Yeah, I guess. Or whatever."

"The... 'or whatever' was shite, but... if I'm honest, also a bit of a relief. I guess." Alex took a sip of his beer, staring at it in his hand. "She was... I don't know. I don't know how I got into it, or how I stayed in it, but now it's done. You know. Fuck it." He shrugged.

Andrew nodded slowly. "That's... fair. Relationships are, ehm, complicated, right?"

"You don't have to pretend like you're being... the fuck is the word I'm thinking of... impartial. Impartial. Because you're not."

"...What do you mean?"

"The other day, you know, when I told you," Alex pointed at Andrew with his beer bottle, "when I told you that we'd... ended things... before that, you sounded absolutely fuckin' _miserable,_ like you were about to _cry_ any _second,_ but after I told you that, it was like, like suddenly you were in a much better mood."

Andrew licked his lips, staring at his beer bottle to avoid looking at Alex. "Did I? I mean, I don't... remember that."

"I know you, man. You can't hide your moods and you can't hide your, your fuckin' emotions. So... what the fuck? Most people, most _friends_ don't get cheered up by hearing their friend has, you know, ended a relationship."

"I..." Andrew began, sighing. "I just... it didn't seem like... fuck, I don't know, it didn't seem like she was right for you."

"Didn't it?" Alex snapped back. "How so? You don't know a thing _about_ her. What was her _name,_ Andy? Can you even tell me that much? Fuck's sake, man. If you've got something to say, then just say it. Or else I don't even know why I bothered to come here."

Andrew finished the last of his beer. "Why... _did_ you come here?"

Alex, already long finished, set his bottle on the counter. "I don't even fuckin' know." He rubbed his face with his hands. 

“So,” said Andrew quietly, “d’you think you can put all the blame on me for that? For why I don’t know anything about this girl you had, for weeks, for months, for how _ever_ the fuck long you two were together?” He continued, raising his voice a little. “Why I had to keep hearing it from _other people_ to the point I had to tell them to stop asking me about it, because everyone, _everyone_ somehow knew _except me?_ You tell me I should speak if I’ve got something to say, but _you_ couldn’t even tell me _that_ to my face.” He took a deep breath. “You’ve never felt the need to hide something that big from me, Alex. If she was… if she was, you know, the right one, why the fuck couldn’t you just _tell me that?_ ”

Alex blinked slowly, not used to Andrew speaking so heatedly, almost _passionately_ about something that wasn’t music. 

“I…” Alex glanced up at the dusty ceiling fan. “I didn’t tell you because… I knew… I thought… it would bother you.”

“Even if that was true, even then, do you really think that lying was better? That I wouldn’t find out from the hundreds of mutual friends we have?”

“I wasn’t lying, I just wasn’t… telling you everything.”

“Close enough, man.”

“But anyway, the fact is, it _did_ bother you, and she _wasn’t_ the one, and here we _fuckin’_ are. Right?”

“Why are you assuming you know how I feel? Why would you think it would bother me any more than the dozens of other times you’ve told me about? Times I _never_ judged you for?”

“Andy,” Alex said, as calmly as he could, “just because you didn’t _judge_ me doesn’t mean it didn’t _bother_ you. You wear your heart on your sleeve. Even on the phone, it’s obvious, I can hear it in your voice. I _know_ you, man, even if I’d asked you if it bothered you, you would have told me _no._ ”

Andrew frowned at the floor, ruefully. “Seems you’ve got me all figured out, then. Fine. Yes. It bothered me.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Remains, though, the fact that you _knew_ she wasn’t right, but you went along with it anyway. I just can’t figure out why.”

“If we’re admitting things, I guess, I was just… I don’t know. Trying something new. You never know.”

“How is being in a… a _normal_ relationship with a _woman_ trying something _new?_ Especially since it hasn’t even been _that_ long since you and Ge--”

Alex cut him off. “Shut _up,_ Andy. You don’t need to bring _her_ up, too. Besides, it’s been well over a _year,_ and you know it.”

“...And you’ve been touring that entire time, but the _minute_ you come off tour you’re suddenly in a relationship? Really?”

“It’s… God, it’s not like that. You really think I jumped into a relationship with the first girl I met or something? Fuck’s sake.”

“Sure the fuck _seems_ that way, man.”

“Look, I wasn’t even _trying_ to get into a goddamn relationship.” Alex threw his hands up in irritation. “It just… happened that way.”

“So, you’ve got women just falling at your feet, huh? Did I talk you up _too_ much this tour?” Andrew snorted. 

Alex rolled his eyes. “You _did_ get me laid a time or two with that little speech of yours, but this… wasn’t that. Don’t flatter yourself.”

Fuming quietly, Andrew looked away. “So you’ve said.”

Alex took a step closer, angrily reaching up to tilt Andrew’s face back toward him. “See? Even that fuckin’ bothers you. You can’t even look at me. What the fuck, Andy?”

The moment Alex put his hand on Andrew’s face, Andrew’s features softened almost imperceptibly, his lips parting a little, and he swallowed hard.

“Don’t,” he said, guarded, though uneasy.

“Don’t _what?_ ” spat Alex, “Or am I not allowed to _touch_ you at _all_ now?”

Andrew put his hand on Alex’s chest, gripping his shirt tight, pursing his lips, a wounded creature. Alex could feel his fist trembling, but he didn’t look away, defiant.

Alex raised his voice, moving closer still, pushing Andrew’s hand back with his body. “Going to fight me, Andy? Kick me out? What’s next? What _is_ it with you?”

And then, Andrew pulled Alex toward him, his hand still tangled in Alex’s shirt, and he bent down just enough to kiss him hard, his eyes still open, full of fire. Alex’s own eyes opened wider, breathing in sharply, but he did not pull away. Andrew was the one to break the kiss, leaning back, hesitant, unsure what to do next. He exhaled hard.

“Fuck, man, I don’t know what I--” he began, but Alex cut him off again, this time mirroring Andrew’s movements, gripping him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him tightly into a kiss, so fierce their teeth clashed, and it was Andrew’s turn to be surprised, kissing him back with renewed vigour. 

The two men locked eyes with one another, breathing heavily.

Andrew tilted his head and his eyes in the direction of the hallway, and Alex led the way, gripping Andrew tightly by the hand. 

“Which way?” he said without looking back.

“Straight ahead. Last door on the right.”

Alex tugged him harder as he walked, almost ran, to the bedroom; when they entered, neither of them bothered to turn the light on, relying solely on the faint light barely reaching down the hall from the kitchen. He backed up against the bed to sit on the edge of the unmade bed, gripping Andrew tightly by his shirt, pulling him down into a fierce kiss. Letting go of Andrew’s shirt, Alex frantically started to unbutton it, as though he couldn’t get Andrew’s clothes off fast enough, and Andrew, following his lead, tugged at Alex’s t-shirt. Panting, they moved apart enough to take each other’s shirts off completely, immediately pressing close, skin to skin.

Andrew clambered over Alex to lie down in the bed, pulling him roughly by the hand until Alex was next to him. He leaned in to kiss Alex again, his fingers fumbling at his own belt, until Alex stopped him.

“No. Let me.”

Andrew’s eyes went a little wide as Alex unbuckled his belt for him, unzipping his jeans and unsuccessfully trying to yank them down.

“Want me to get the rest?”

“Go ahead.”

Taking a deep breath, Andrew tugged his jeans down along with his boxers, and one of his socks got tangled in his pant leg, so he pulled the other one off with his toes.

“Your turn.” Andrew tucked one hand in Alex’s waistband, trying to unbuckle his belt with his other hand before giving up. Alex’s deft hands made quicker work of it, and he did the same as Andrew had, pulling his trousers off along with the boxer briefs he had on, until they were both naked, uncovered to one another’s sight.

Immediately, they came together, pressing their bodies fully against each other, Andrew’s hips rolling against Alex’s, harsh kisses giving way to him biting Alex’s lower lip, his fingers winding into Alex’s hair.

“Fuck,” whispered Alex against Andrew’s lips, and Andrew nodded.

“Do you… how do you… how should we…”

Alex kissed Andrew again, roughly, reaching down to grip Andrew at the base of his _very_ erect cock, feeling Andrew gasp against his mouth.

“You. Inside me. Don’t make me wait anymore, man.”

Andrew groaned long and low, only pulling himself away from Alex long enough to reach behind him into the nightstand, rummaging in the drawer until he found a bottle of lube. 

“Yeah?”

“Mmhmm.” Alex pulled Andrew into position, lying him on his back, taking the bottle from him and tipsily dripping a little more than necessary onto Andrew’s cock, clicking the bottle shut, spreading it evenly with one hand. He reached behind himself when he was done, lubricating himself as best he could, and Andrew gasped as Alex’s head fell back briefly, his eyes closing, as Alex fingered himself for a moment, panting, readying himself for Andrew.

“Fuck, goddammit, Alex, you’re--”

Alex cut him off yet again, climbing closer to Andrew and kissing him to shut him up, rubbing his ass against Andrew’s well-lubricated cock. “I know. Stop talking and fuck me.”

Andrew could only nod, gripping his cock in one hand and pointing it in the general direction of Alex’s entrance, though he couldn’t see where he was trying to put it, and he kept missing.

“Never mind. Let me.”

Alex reached behind himself, taking hold of Andrew’s cock, lining it up with himself in a way that made his breath hitch in his throat, slowly pressing down onto it, remembering too late just _how long_ it had been since he’d been fucked that way, and just how _big_ Andy was, but they were _there_ and they were _together_ and they were _fucking_ so nothing else mattered in that moment.

“Fuck, Andy, I…” Alex groaned, slowly sinking down onto Andrew’s cock. “I fuckin’ missed you, man.”

Andrew, his eyes closed, nodded, his mouth open, enjoying the sensation of Alex on him, around him, with him, _finally,_ more serious than the moments they’d shared out of desperation on tour. “Goddammit, fuck… you feel _so good_ … I fuckin’ missed you, too.” 

Alex, slowly but surely, sank down on Andrew’s cock until he was down as far as he could go, Andrew fully inside of him. He pulled on Andrew’s arm until he sat up, Alex astride him with his legs on either side of Andrew’s.

“Hope you don’t mind if I take charge,” said Alex sharply, adjusting himself in Andrew’s lap, letting himself get used to the feel of Andrew’s cock inside him before moving.

“No, I… I’m, ehm…”

“That’s what I thought.” Alex snickered, raising up on his knees a little, then sinking back down, a low rumble in his throat. One of Andrew’s hands snaked up Alex’s back, his fingers tangling themselves in Alex’s short hair, his other arm curling around Alex’s waist, almost protective, almost possessive.

Alex rested both his arms on Andrew’s shoulders for balance, rocking his hips, gritting his teeth with the exertion, exhaling in short, sharp puffs from his nose each time he took Andrew‘s cock fully again. Andrew’s eyes were open wide, focused on Alex’s face, his tongue occasionally darting out to lick his lips.

“Fuck, I don’t… I don’t think I’m gonna…”

“Mmhmm. You were hard as a rock before we even got our clothes off. Just go with it,” hissed Alex, reaching back to pull Andrew’s hand from behind him and place it between them, on Alex’s cock. “And give me a hand.”

Andrew tugged hard on Alex’s hair, letting out his frustration, and Alex moaned in response.

“Not what you meant?” he growled, running his thumb over the head of Alex’s cock, and he didn’t have a response for that, closing his eyes, his mouth falling open. Andrew moved beneath Alex, thrusting upward, not letting go with either hand. “Don’t _act_ like I’m the only one who’s… fuck, who’s been…” He shook his head, unable to word what he meant properly.

“A fuckin’ poet,” Alex snickered, and Andrew pulled his hair harder, using it to steer his head closer, kissing him roughly, his other hand confidently stroking Alex’s cock. “Goddammit, Andy,” said Alex against Andrew’s mouth, and he nipped Andrew’s lower lip hard for emphasis. He curled his hand around Andrew’s, around his own cock, and moved it more firmly, more quickly, breathing growing ragged as he raised himself up and crashed himself down onto Andrew’s cock more and more frantically.

Andrew swallowed audibly, his eyes closing briefly against the overwhelming sensation, trying to keep their movements in sync. “Keep… keep going, I’m gonna…”

“Me too, fuck, I’m…”

Letting go of Alex’s hair, Andrew quickly moved his free hand to Alex’s waist, using it as leverage to thrust harder, deeper, frantically jacking his friend off as though trying to cause them to finish at the same time.

And then, nearly all at once, it happened. Andrew pushed up into Alex one final time, a long, deep moan escaping his lips, and that was enough for Alex to take charge of himself; with Andrew’s heat spilling deep into him, he spent himself, too, making a mess of his and Andrew’s entwined hands.

Catching their breath, they looked anywhere but at each other, until their eyes finally locked again. 

“Should I, ehm…” Andrew said, softly, gesturing to the pillows, “do you want me to pull out?”

Alex swallowed hard. “Not really, but…” He cleared his throat. “Maybe you should?” He rose up onto his knees, though all that accomplished was allowing about _half_ of Andrew’s cock out of him. “Fuck, I uh… lie down, maybe…”

Andrew nodded, lying down in the bed, his curls spread around his head against the crisp white pillows. Alex was able, then, to move enough to let the rest of Andrew out of him, and he groaned at the sudden empty feeling. He crawled up next to Andrew, who turned toward him, lazily draping an arm over his waist. Reaching up, he kissed Andrew on the forehead, licking his lips afterward, tasting his sweat.

They rested there for a while, quietly, comfortable in each other’s company.

“Fuck, Alex, I just…” Andrew mumbled.

“I know.” 

Andrew leaned forward, running his thumb over Alex’s jawline, and kissed him again, gently. He took a deep breath, ending in a sigh. “You… you knew? You _knew_ how I was feelin’ about you.”

“‘Course I knew. I told you, you can’t hide your emotions from me.”

“Why didn’t you _say_ anything?”

“I didn’t… know what I wanted. If I wanted.” He shrugged. “In some way I still don’t. And I guess I was trying to pretend it wasn’t true. Because, I mean… it means something. Right? And you can keep denying it, if it isn’t said out loud.”

Andrew scooted closer to him. “Then why’d you, you know…”

“Kiss you? Fuck you?”

“Yeah.”

“Because I’ve kept this shit bottled up in me so long I couldn’t help it.” He shrugged, sighing himself. “I mean, I missed you anyway, and I missed being like this with you, but it… wasn’t just that.”

“You _wanted…_ all that too. Didn’t you?”

“Wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t, man.”

“I thought it was just me. You fucker, this entire time I thought it was just _me_ and it was still just some casual _friends_ thing for you, but you--” Andrew shoved him, a difficult feat in their position. “Goddamn it, Alex.”

“I… didn’t _want_ to want it, I guess. Something more serious, I mean.”

“...Why?”

“Because… it’s complicated. You’re complicated. I felt like, _feel_ like, it’s not something that can just be out in the open. You’re famous, we’re together a lot anyway, and just… you know. People talk. It’s messy.”

Andrew bit his lip, but nodded. “I mean, you aren’t wrong. But I think, ehm… some things are… worth the difficulty.”

Alex wrapped his arms around Andrew tightly and took a deep breath. “Now what?”

Andrew looked thoughtful for a moment. “We have time, y’know, to figure all that shit out, too.” He flashed Alex a grin. “In the meantime, is it too soon to go again?”


End file.
